Dun-Da-Dun-Da-Nun-Da-Nun-Da-Nun-Dun-Nun

That’s as close to a calvary horn I can “write” for you here in cyberspace. The troops have finally arrived to help the Rampage salvage what’s left of this season.

The combination of scoring the lowest amount of goals and allowing the most goals going into action Thursday night (well, tied with the 3-17-0-2 Rochester Americans), is almost as deadly a combination as that maggot combo meal at the Gagging Goat Chinese/Greek takeout place.

Wow, after two impressive victories over North Division clubs, the Rampage could finally be getting their act together. Here’s the $64,000 question — can a team starting to play winning hockey this late in the season have a chance for the playoffs?

Let’s face it, the way the current roster is shaping up, this is a totally different team than just a week ago. Sunday’s game against the Moose should provide some insight as to whether these past two nights are the real deal or just a mirage. But should the Rampage skate away with another win Sunday against one of the elite teams of this AHL season, and with Tuesday night’s “Clash of the Lightens” (do the math, 7-38-0-3 – ouch), looming, this could bode well for a nice little four-game winning streak and with it a gigantic jolt of confidence. With the additions of two AHL All-Stars and the return of speedster David Spina (who scored a goal in his first period of action Friday night), and renewed vigor in goal by Josh Tordjman, San Antonio can erase the word “doormat” from it’s vocabulary.

Joel Perrault was on a roll last season when he was the team’s leading scorer, but got the call to the desert to join the parent team, the Phoenix Coyotes. An offseason head injury kept him from attending training camp, and Perrault will get his camp starting this week, trying to invigorate the slumbering San Antonio offense. In his first two games, the former Ducks draft pick had three assists, and only some strong goaltending kept him from having big nights. With the exception of new teammate Joakim Lindstrom, I doubt there’s a better wrist shot on the Rampage roster than Perrault’s.

Lindstrom, one of the leading scorers from Iowa and the Anaheim organization, was acquired by the Coyotes on Tuesday, and his shooting for the Rampage rather than against them should come in handy.

Lindstrom also has an edge, as his 33 penalty minutes will show, which will also be welcomed on a team that leads the league in penalty minutes. No kit gloves, scoring-matinee-idol-cherry-picker here. Lindstrom and Perrault should help Jeff Hoggan, Chad Kolarik and Brett MacLean feel like they don’t have to shoulder the scoring load and loosen the grip on their sticks.

I spoke with Hoggan after the Rampage came away with the 3-0 win Thursday over Syracuse and he had the biggest smile in Bexar County. He said it was nice to start getting the bounces go their way.

“It’s about time,” said Hoggan. “You work and work and work and have some close games but never quite enough. I think we’re just sick of losing.”

Hoggan added another goal Friday as the Rampage swarmed the Moose net, just grappling, lunging and slamming at the puck until it came loose to Hoggan at the side of the net, where he lifted it over the goalie’s glove on the backhand.

The Coyotes had to give up popular defenseman Logan Stephenson to get Lindstrom’s offense. Stephenson just set the franchise record for most games played, a backhanded compliment for any minor league player. And he was probably the most consistant defender for San Antonio. But his departure could be a good move for him, since the Coyotes always looked in another direction when moving folks up.

Lindstrom, who played with Syracuse prior to signing with Anaheim this summer, was fired up after the game after helping with a second period goal to give San Antonio its first 3-0 lead since Oct 25.

“It was a special game for me, my first game with the Rampage, playing my former team where I played for two and a half years,” said Lindstrom. “It was a really good feeling to get a win and score too.”

To address Stephenson’s departure, the Coyotes promoted defenseman Sean Zimmerman, who played well in the Rampage camp, but was dispatched to the Arizona Sundogs of the Central Hockey League to begin the season. Zimmerman is the classic stay-at-home defender, someone goaltenders Al Montoya and Josh Tordjman will enjoy hanging around the net.

Tordjman couldn’t say enough nice things about his defense last night, when he stopped all 27 Crunch shots.

“All night (teammates) were in position right where they had to be. When that happens that makes my job so much easier,” said Tordjman.

Greg Ireland concurred, praising his defensemen for playing a solid game Thursday night.

“Our ‘D’ played very well as a group, they moved the puck extremely well and that allowed our forwards to jump and transition our offense.”

Lindstrom’s goal is a nice indication of what can be expected from the veteran from Sweden. Lindstrom concluded the scoring with a strong individual effort, as he circled from behind the Syracuse net, shot, got the rebound and fired over the stickhand of LaCosta at 15:23 of the second period.

I was impressed with his work on the power play, when he provided direction and calm at the point. Along with the addition of Perrault and Smith, the Rampage PP should be much improved, as that trio joins Kolarik and MacLean on the unit. Look for much more impact from that group if they continue to jell. The first PP attempt worked very well, as they kept the pressure on Syracuse netminder Dan LaCosta for a solid two minutes, a stark diparture from the disorganized unit on display during “the Dark Ages.”

Lindstrom also got the oohs and aahs from the nice Friday night crowd with a delicious move just inside the blueline. He took the puck on his forehand and backhanded it behind his left skate, only to have its momentum glide it back to his forehand for a quick shot that was blocked. Highlight reel material none-the-less.

What a refreshing way to address a floundering situation. Longtime fans will remember when the Florida Panthers solution was to send their best players off to playoff-bound teams, leaving goaltender Travis Scott out to dry and the team for that matter.

Currently, their affiliate continues to struggle with the worst record in the league without any relief in sight in Rochester, a team that was last in the AHL last year as well while the Panthers shared the affiliation with Buffalo.

With the Coyotes, it looks like a determination to turn the Rampage around and be a lot more successful this season is the goal with the recent moves by general manager Brad Treliving. The stand pat and stifle attitude has been replaced by the “let’s deal with it and win” strategy. The playoffs may be on many a player’s Santa’s wish list, and realistically, it’s the longest of long shots for the Rampage to be there this spring. But at least now they might be fun to watch trying to get there.

What a concept!

PARTING SHOTS

The Rampage lucked out in the third period when Syracuse’s Derek MacKenzie seemed to have beat Tordjman. The big clunk could be heard upstairs and Rampage radio announcer Joe Dominey had called it a goal. But the light never came on. After checking with the goal judge, referee Zac Weibe, who was suffering with some health issues, said the puck never went in. That of course, made the Crunch go collectively nuts, claiming the puck went in but bounced out after hitting the back of the top shelf. Last week, that situation would have been completely reversed. It was just going to be the Rampage’s night.

It would have been easy for the Rampage to pack it in after the Moose rallied for three straight goals. Kudos to the team for finding a way to gut out the third period, a period where they’ve pretty much disappeared this year.

It amazes me what people will do, just because a costumed thing points a shotgun loaded with a t-shirt at them. Next game, take a minute to look around and see the absolute insanity. It probably says something psychologically about the human species, but it is a blast to observe.

What would it take for you to don snorkle, swim suit, lifesaving ring, mask and flippers and race around the ice? The HEB between periods contest was absurd, but entertaining — a nice break from the human hockey puck, which outlived its novelty about three years ago. (Although I yearn to hear Mike Lavender shout, “Launch so and so into the glass like a buggggggg on a windshield!”

Speaking of TBone — he kinda scared me Friday night. That “Gene Simmons’ version of TBone was a tad on the creepy side. Still, he’s one of the best in the business, but I wish he’d leave that raising of the jersey to show off and rub his short ribs in the locker room. Especially when he does it to 8-year old girls.

Nice to see David Spina spinning around the ice with wild abandon again. His “knuckler” of a goal was just what the doctor ordered for the Arizona native, who hit some posts and missed some nets in the games prior to his concussion. I’m looking for a name of his “low circular crank near ice level whoosh” that has become his trademark post goal reaction. Any help would be appreciated.